Gezicht op Rome vanaf het Piazza del Campidoglio c. 1850 - 1880

This albumen print titled 'View of Rome from the Piazza del Campidoglio' was made by Lorenzo Suscipi, though we don't know exactly when. The image depicts the Piazza del Campidoglio, a site designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century. Let's think about what this image tells us about the developing culture of tourism in Italy in the 19th century. The advent of photography coincided with a boom in tourism, especially to sites of great cultural and historical importance. Italy, with its ancient ruins and Renaissance cities, became a key destination. This image would likely have been made to be sold as a souvenir to tourists. The image itself is interesting. It focuses on the architecture of the square. You can almost imagine the photographer placing the camera in just the right position so that tourists could remember exactly what they had seen. By researching the archives of photographers like Suscipi, we can learn a great deal about the burgeoning tourist industry and how that shaped the look of major European cities.